AIRBLUE A321 RECORDERS SET FOR DECODING
France's air accident investigation bureau BEA is preparing to decode the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the Airblue Airbus A321 that crashed in mountainous terrain on 28 July on approach to Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
FLYBE TO OPERATE FEEDER ROUTES FOR FINNAIR
Finnair has contracted UK regional operator Flybe to run feeder routes serving Tampere, Turku and Tallinn from the end of October. Flybe, which uses Bombardier Q400s and Embraer regional jets, will base three aircraft in Helsinki, flying with Finnish cabin crew.
INDIA EXTENDS FOREIGN PILOT PHASE-OUT DEADLINE
India's DGCA civil aviation regulator is extending by a year, to July 2011, the deadline for Indian carriers to phase out around 400 foreign pilots. Indian pilots unions are urging airlines to train Indian pilots to replace expatriates.
US MRO FIRM FLIGHTSTAR TO CONVERT 737S
Florida-based Flightstar Aircraft Services is to open a Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversion line later this year in partnership with Aeronautical Engineers, which offers conversion products for 737s and Boeing MD-80s with Miami-based sister company Commercial Jet.
RUSSIAN TEAMS EXAMINE AN-24 CRASHES
As Russian investigators embark on the inquiry into the Katekavia Antonov An-24 that crashed on landing at Igarka on 2 August, the country's Interstate Aviation Committee has received the flight recorders of the Pamir Airways An-24 that came down on 17 May in Afghanistan, between Kunduz and Kabul.
GAGAN READIES FOR OPERATIONAL USE IN 2013
India's satellite-based, GPS-aided civilian air traffic navigation system Gagan is in final testing and will be ready for regular operational use by mid-2013. Gagan is a joint project of the Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India.
RUSSIA MAY FURTHER EASE IMPORT DUTIES
Russia may lift customs duties from another category of foreign-made mainline aircraft by revoking a 20% import tax on jets with operating empty weight of 90-120t. The proposal would allow Russian airlines to lease Boeing 767s and even 787s duty-free. Current tax concessions provide for duty-free import of aircraft accommodating fewer than 50 or more than 300 passengers.
LITHUANIAN ACADEMY ADDS A320 TRAINING
Lithuania's Baltic Aviation Academy has added Airbus A320 type rating to its Boeing 737, 757 and 767 and ATR, Bombardier, Embraer and Saab regional types.
JET AVIATION CHIEF CARL HIRSCHMANN DIES
Carl Hirschmann, former chief executive of business aviation services provider Jet Aviation died on 30 July at the age of 61. Hirschmann - the eldest son of Jet Aviation's founder Carl W Hirschmann - joined Jet Aviation in 1975 and ran the company in the early 1980s. He was a minority shareholder following acquisition by private equity firm Permira in 2005 and served as vice-chairman until November 2008, when the firm was sold to General Dynamics.
Source: Flight International
